When Mikael Granlund took a two-year, $10MM deal with San Jose in 2023, the thought was that he’d try to use the opportunity to play a prominent role and turn it into a more lucrative contract down the road. With how things have gone for him so far, he may have made the right choice.
It appears that we may soon see what type of bigger deal the veteran could earn. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period recently reported (video link) that San Jose and Granlund’s camp are expected to begin discussions about a possible contract extension next month.
Last season, the 32-year-old led the Sharks in points, tallying 12 goals and 48 assists despite only playing in 69 of 82 games. Granlund was the team leader in ice time among forwards, logging a career-best 20:58 per night which certainly helped contribute to the uptick in production. But with San Jose adding Macklin Celebrini and William Smith to their group of middlemen for this season, many assumed Granlund would have a smaller role.
That hasn’t been the case, however. Granlund’s ice time has actually ticked up slightly this season and he’s already just one goal shy of equaling his output from last season while chipping in with 22 assists. As a result, he’s once again the team leader in scoring with 33 points, six ahead of William Eklund. Clearly, there’s room for Granlund to still play a prominent role beyond this season.
But how much would an extension cost? While Granlund has a history of up-and-down production which hurts his market value, it’s fair to say he has earned a fair-size raise if he’s going to remain in this type of role. Numbers-wise, he could push for more than $6MM on another multi-year agreement.
There are two other factors to consider here, however. First, Sharks GM Mike Grier needs to weigh the value of re-signing him against the potential trade value he’d carry by the March 7th trade deadline. While San Jose doesn’t have any salary retention slots remaining, Granlund would be one of the top middlemen available and should land them a quality return. Is it worth not getting that return to keep him in the fold?
The other factor is Granlund’s role. With the Sharks, he’s a number one center. That isn’t going to be the case on many other teams who would view him as a second or even a third option. Accordingly, their offers in free agency are likely going to reflect that. With that in mind, it stands to reason that the richest offer he’s going to receive is from the Sharks. Does he go that way and remain with a rebuilding team or consider taking less to play in more of a winning environment?
With talks expected to start in a few weeks, Granlund still has ample time to ponder the answer to that question but with the Sharks fully knowing that he’s one of their top trade chips if a deal can’t be reached, they’re probably going to want an answer sooner rather than later.
Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.